THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ

Press Release Article

SIGNIFICANT PROGESS MADE TO REPAIR AND REOPEN VAN WYCK EXPRESSWAY AT JFK AIRPORT AS SOON AS TOMORROW

Date: Apr 27, 2017Press Release Number: 76-2017

Port Authority urges travelers to continue to use JFK AirTrain system to avoid heavy airport terminal congestion until expressway reopens;Those traveling to the airport by car or for-hire car service should allow a minimum of an hour in extra travel time

The Port Authority today reported that the Van Wyck Expressway at JFK Airport will be open as soon as tomorrow after significant progress was made overnight to repair a 16-inch water main that broke on the expressway Wednesday morning, causing damage to an underground electrical system adjacent to the pipe.

Until the expressway reopens, travelers to the airport are urged to use the JFK AirTrain system to get to and from the airport. Extra AirTrain service is being provided throughout the duration of the roadway closing.

If passengers must drive to the airport, they should allow significant extra travel time to make their flight. The current travel time to exit the airport is approximately one hour.

To lessen traffic around the airport, the Port Authority yesterday reopened the outbound expressway from Terminals 1 and 4 to Exit A, where traffic has been diverted onto the south service road that parallels the Van Wyck to exit the airport.

The remainder of the outbound Van Wyck Expressway remains closed, forcing a majority of the traffic to exit the airport via the JFK Expressway.

Updates on the situation will be posted regularly on the Port Authority's e-alert system and Twitter @JFKairport.

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.